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By Lee Dobbins

Even the most expensive floors can have problems. Woods are prone to scratches than any other flooring. Problems can range to minor problems to the surface or to a major one which damage on the structure. You can seek for a professional who will repair the damage or try to do it yourself.

I would try to tackle normal floor problems and possible ways to repair those.

1. One problem is the hardwood surface scratches which are very hard to avoid since this is natural wear and tear on every wood. If scratches on the floor are unapparent, color sticks or urethane touch-up kits available at most floor retailer stores can be used. If scratches are deep, you will need to change the damaged boards. I

2. Another problem would be buckled hardwood which is when boards rise up from the sub floor due to humidity levels. This should be repaired at once to avoid larger damage and the hazard of tripping. Expert help is sometimes required since the problem is beneath the floor. Fixing a screw into the flooring and the sub floor pulls down the buckled portion of the floor; cement block can also be used to deal with the problem

3. Hardwood plank gaps or separations of gaps are caused naturally by climate or by dryness. Woods will shrink or expand when wet or dry. The problem is seasonal so if the weather is humid, the floor is fine. Just be patient in waiting for the floor to return on its normal shape again, as long as the gaps are not that large, it is definitely okay.

4. Loose planks of wood can be fixed through nail and hammer set. Greatly loose boards can have deeper problems; this can be solved through replacement of the damaged strips on the floor.

5. Broken or split woods on the floor can also be repaired through hammer and special angled nails; larger splits may also need replacements.

6. Stained hardwood floors can be the most devastating problem on the floor since stains can mess up the beauty of the whole floor having dark colors. Refinishing the whole floor can be the only way to deal with stains but you can try this few steps:

a. Sand out the stained wood

b. Apply an acid mixture; this is a mixture of acid crystals (sold at retail flooring stores) and water on a clean white cloth. Let the mixture set on the floor for an hour.

c. Check if the stain is gone; if not repeat the process over again.

d. Once the stain is washed out rinse the area with vinegar and let the area dry completely.

e. Apply an oil-based stain that can match the bleached portion. Additional coats would be necessary to level the color of the floor. Once you have arrived at the color that you want, let the floor dry overnight.

Be sure to wear protection for your eyes when doing the whole process of floor stain removal.

7. Washboarding or cupping hardwood is a hardwood floor problem characterized by wood strips that are high on the edges but lower on the center. Cupping can be caused by moisture imbalance wherein more water is stagnated on the bottom of the wood than on top. The remedy for this problem is to stabilize the humidity levels of the wood surface first. Sand it out and refinish the hardwood.

8. Warped floors are floors that lose its shape. This can pose a serious problem; thus professional help is needed at once.

Cleanliness at home is still the best way to maintain the sturdiness of the hardwood floor. Vacuuming and mopping of the floor at least once a week is a good start. It has also been advice not to wax floors with polyurethane coatings because it will be very hard to recoat or refinish it again without sanding it wholly first.

Do not feel obliged to call the help of experts to make minor repairs on your flooring problems. There are those which are easy to deal with and you can try to solve it on your own. This can save you from a lot of hassle and money which can be used for bigger problems in the long run.

Hardwood floor repair takes a lot of time and patience. With appropriate techniques, tools and products, fixing of the floor will be as easy as 1-2-3.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.refinishing-hardwood-floors.com where you can learn more about choosing, maintaining and refinishing hardwood floors.

By Rob Jones

Even though it has been established by many that hardwood wood floors require regular attention when you have a pet, it is not a forgone conclusion that you must choose between your Faithful Friend and the beauty and class that hardwood wood floors can bring to an interior.

Taking care of hardwood wood floors will demand a certain level of attention, and as such it is just as easy to incorporate a few simple steps into a cleaning routine which takes your pets into account as well. In some ways, having hardwood floors in a pet’s environment is a great alternative to carpeting. Hardwood wood floors make the clearing away of animal hair and dander a much simpler exercise. Pets enjoy the coolness of hardwood, and will often remain in those areas away from your carpeting. This can save a lot of time and bother when it comes to vacuuming.

Be Vigilant

Overall, the key principle to remember about hardwood wood floors and pets is awareness and timely action. Responsible pet owners are likely to find success when it comes to taking care of their hardwood floors as well as their furry friends. Provided that you keep a few things in mind, you may well enjoy the company of your pets as well as the high quality a hardwood wood floor’s unique appearance will lend to your interior for years to come. Some actions to take when it comes to pets and hardwood wood floors may include:
- Considering some areas of your interior to be “no pet zones”
- Clipping your pet’s claws to avoid scratching the surface of hardwood wood floors
- Seeking ways of avoiding spillage from pet water dishes – buy broad-based water dishes or water dishes that come with a spill-resistant stand
- Making use of strategically placed mats to protect from spills and wet paws fresh from outdoor exploration. Make sure that wet mats don’t sit too long on your hardwood wood floor.
- Assuming the worst when it comes to urine stains and lingering odors even before they happen. Seek advice from pet store retailers and DIY experts about how to treat the surface of a hardwood wood floor in the event of an “accident”. Always follow the instructions as stipulated by manufacturers of stain-removal products
- Being prepared to clear water spills and urine right away – don’t leave messes to sit

One option to explore of course is finding out about as many flooring options as you feel are viable as alternatives to hardwood wood floors. Many varieties of flooring (laminate flooring, porcelain tile et al) are very conducive to high pet-traffic, and with comparatively less to worry about when it comes to many of the elements discussed here. Look at as many as you can and know how much attention each option will demand when it comes to your pet. In weighing the pros and cons when it comes to a choice of flooring and your pet, you may save yourself a significant amount of bother and expense in the future.

The author of this article, Rob Jones, is Communications Coordinator with BuildDirect, a leading online wholesaler of building products. Rob writes articles for commercial contractors and DIYers on features, installation, and maintenance of building materials used in commercial and residential projects. These articles focus on materials such as flooring, decking, roofing, and siding, and other related topics.
 

By Vincent Platania

What is parquet flooring?  Parquet flooring is a type of flooring created from strips or blocks of wood that form a pattern.  So, when cleaning a parquet floors you would use the same process as cleaning hardwood floors.

As with hardwood floors, the best method for care is to provide preventative maintenance.  There are several things you can do to assist you in making the cleaning process easier.  Parquet or wood floors should be swept often.  Dirt, sand and outside debris can easily scratch any type of wood flooring.  Keeping the debris off of your wood floors is one of the best ways to maintain the newness to your parquet floors.

Along with daily sweeping or dry dust mopping you will want to use carpet rugs to trap the dirt and debris.  Placing carpet rugs at all entrances to your home will assist in trapping debris as it is brought in on shoes.  It is important that you also vacuum the carpet rugs to pull out the dirt and debris as often as possible.  Placing carpet rugs in high traffic or high use areas around your home will also help in protecting your parquet flooring.

Unlike laminates your parquet floors do not come with the added finish coating.  It is up to you to provide that shiny surface.  An easy way to do that is to use a cleaner and polisher in one. Using a cleaning product that combines cleaning and polishing in one, cuts the job in half.  This allows you more time to admire your beautiful parquet floors, than cleaning them.

It is important to use the proper instrument when cleaning and polishing your parquet floor.  It is recommended that you use an instrument with a flat surface, and a soft cloth or terry cloth. This cloth makes shining your wood floors easy as can be.

It is important that you not use water to clean your parquet floors.  These floors are wood, and water will damage them.  It is also important to clean up any water as soon as it is spilled.  Never use any products that contain wax on your parquet floors.  Remember they are wood floors and should be treated like all other wood floors.  It is also important that you take steps in protecting your parquet floors.  You should not wear high heals on a parquet floor as they could dent them.  It is also important that your pet’s nails are kept clipped so they do not scratch the wood.  Never drag furniture across a wood floor, either lift the furniture, or place a small carpet rug under the legs to slide the furniture across the floor.  It is also recommended to place wood protector covers under the legs of all furniture.

Taking care of your parquet floors can and will be an easy project as long as you provide preventative maintenance and a cleaning routine that is consistent.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Vincent Platania

Okay, all you wood floor owners, listen up!  There are so many tips that you have been given over the years to help you maintain those beautiful wood floors.  You’ve probably heard all them out there. Whether it was from a friend, or a professional, or maybe something good ole’ mom told you, or even a hint you found on the Internet, you have certainly heard many pearls of wisdom. Whichever, who do you listen to? And what is the best tip in maintaining a beautiful wood floor.

So just what is the best cleaning tip for wood floors?  Is it the fact that you should never use water on your wood floors, or never allow water products or liquids to sit for any amount of time on your wood floors as water is the wood floor’s worst enemy?

Or could it be that you should use carpet rugs in high traffic areas to maintain that wonderful hardwood look.  Or maybe it’s never to wear high heals on your wood floors as they can easily dent the floor?  Then again, maybe it’s you should never drag furniture across a wood floor.  And then again it could be that you should use protective covers under all furniture.

There are so many possibilities, and so many solutions.  Who should you listen to? Should you listen to all of them or only select a few?  Or should you direct all your unanswered questions to only the professionals?  What and where are the best tips for wood floor cleaning out there?

Could the best tip be that you should sweep or dust mop your wood floors on a daily basis to keep debris such as pet hair, dirt, lint or dust off of your floors?  Or is it that dirt, grit and sand act like sandpaper on your wood floors?  Or maybe it’s the tip that using a wood floor cleaning product made specifically for your wood floors is the best tip in maintaining beautiful wood floors?

Who should you listen to, and what tips should you pay attention to?  The best tip for cleaning wood floors that I can give is: listen to the tips from other wood floor owners who have beautiful, natural wood floors in the best shape.  These are the people you should pay attention to.  Whether it’s your mom, brother, cousin, best friend; listen to the person who has beautiful wood floors.  They are the people who know how to maintain a beautiful wood floor and they have the best tips by-far.  Why?  Because they’ve already tested all the tips out there, and made all the mistakes for you.

So when you need to maintain a beautiful wood floor, go to the person who has those beautiful maintained wood floors in their homes and listen to all of their tips!  Whether they are professionals or your favorite aunt, listen to the wood floor owner who has many years of caring for a beautiful well maintained wood floor.

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Vincent Platania

Purchasing hardwood flooring was the easy part.  The next step, and probably the trickier part, is keeping your hardwood floors clean and protected.  The key to success is to do a little….often!  That’s right, constant and consistent care to your hardwood floors is the best remedy to keep them beautiful and long lasting.  Setting a plan to protect and clean your hardwood floors should be the first step once you have your hardwood floors installed.  Here are some good protection and cleaning steps you might want to add to your hardwood floor care plan.

Protecting Your Hardwood Floor

Protecting your hardwood floors is by far the best practice to adhere to in order to keep it around for years to come.  Most often, “we” are the reason for the problems we experience with our hardwood floors, simply because we fail to take proper care of the floor.  To ensure your hardwood floors remain damage free, follow the simple steps below.

1.  Place doormats outside of all entries to your home in order to trap debris.

2.  Place carpet rugs inside the entrances to your home to trap dirt, sand, and other particles brought into your home that makes it past the doormats.

3.  Place carpet rugs around sink areas, work areas and high traffic areas to trap debris and protect your hardwood floors from spills.

4.  Do not wear high heals on hard wood floors (or if you do, make sure the heals are not damaged)

5.  Keep all pet nails trimmed to avoid small scratches on hardwood floor..

6.  Use wood floor protector covers under the legs of all furniture

7.  Never drag furniture across wood flooring. (place a small carpet rug underneath the legs to resist scratching your hardwood floor)
Cleaning Your Hardwood Floor

Cleaning your hardwood floors can be easy and effortless, as long as you are consistent.  To ensure the beauty of your hardwood floors follow the below steps:
1.  Sweep, dust, or vacuum your hardwood floors daily.  Dirt or sand particles can easily scratch the hardwood floor.

2.  Vacuum any carpet rugs weekly so that dirt or debris is not trapped below the rugs, scratching your hardwood floors.

3.  Clean your hardwood floors weekly with a cleaning agent designed for hardwood floors.

4.  Wipe up any water or other liquids spilled on your hardwood floors immediately.

5.  Never use water to clean your hardwood floors.

6.  Never use products that contain wax on your hardwood floors.

When protecting and cleaning hardwood floors, always keep in mind the old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.  Spending a little bit of time daily and weekly on your hardwood floors will result in you never having to experience the “big problems” found in neglecting hardwood floors.  Set forth a plan, a good plan to protect and clean your hardwood floors and follow that routine.  And remember, a little bit of effort goes a long way.
Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company.Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com

By Brian Dickson

Solid hardwood floors look great. They have a tough chunky look that spells quality and long life. And they will last long and look magnificent throughout if you take the effort to look after them. It’s not difficult, and the right kind of care will add years to your beautiful hardwood floor.

1. The worst enemies of your hardwood floor are grit, sand and dirt. These three act like sandpaper grinding, scraping and dulling the shiny surface until it becomes ugly. Use small mats near outside doors to prevent the dirt getting further into your house.

2. Water allowed to stand on any part of your hardwood floor can cause warping and discoloration. Be sure to wipe up any spills promptly.

3. Re-arranging the furniture is fine, but lift it rather than drag it. This will avoid scratches.

4. The sun can be strong and have much more power than you may think in mid summer. Direct sunlight can discolor a hardwood floor. Protect it with drapes, curtains or blinds.

5. Clean your hardwood floor by using a good broom, a canister vacuum with a special bare floor attachment, or a good dust mop.

6. If your floor does get a bad scratch in it, get a scratch filler kit of the right color at your local hardware store. Sand and smooth the affected area first, then mix the solution to get the exact right color. When it has dried, lightly smooth with a low grit sandpaper, then polish.

7. Pets are among your hardwood floor’s biggest enemies. They have claws and nails that scratch surfaces. Keep your pet’s nails well trimmed. Also, keep pet food containers off the floor surface. Pets always spill food around the containers, which will damage the floor over time. Use newspaper or something more durable to protect the floor.

About The Author
Brian Dickson is a DIY enthusiast with a lifetimes experience behind him. When he’s not fixing up the family home in rural southern Massachusetts, he’s attending to his website at: http://www.alphahardwoodfloor.com/
 

By Marcus Peterson

Good care and maintenance of a hardwood floor enhances its life and appearance. Solid hardwood floors can be easily cleaned, and a daily cleaning routine is a must in order to protect the floors from grit and dirt that are most damaging problems. They create scratches, dents and dulling in the smooth finish layer of the flooring. Floor mats help in protecting the smooth layer of flooring by trapping dirt. Do not allow water to collect on the floor, as it can warp. Neutral pH cleansers developed for wood floors should be used for best results. Do not drag furniture over these floors. Felt contacts for legs are a must to avoid scratches on the flooring. A vacuum with a brush attachment is the right choice for cleaning the floor. Exposing the floor to direct sun could cause discoloring. Use drapes, curtains, blinds to block direct sun light. Floors should be swept regularly, and dust mops are recommended for dust.

Before deciding on a method of cleaning or maintaining the hardwood floors, check the flooring condition. Is the finish chipped, dull, gouged or scraped? Use of water is not recommended if the finish is already damaged as water could penetrate causing further damage to the wood. If the finish is in good condition, a damp mop can be used to wash the floor. A half dry mop is enough to clean. If cleaning in this way does not bring desired results, a maintenance coat may be required. Wax the hardwood floor. Rubbing with No. 2 steel wool removes water stains from waxed finishes. First, soak the steel wool in water. Soap helps in removing cigarette burns.

While cleaning polyurethane-finished hardwood floors, first remove furniture and rugs from the room. Use vacuum or broom to clean the floor. Then mop with a half dry mop. First , use soapy water, and then use fresh water for the mop. Rub the floor dry with a clean towel. Water should be used carefully on floors and should not be allowed to seep into joints.

While cleaning oiled hardwood floors, remove debris and dirt using vacuum or broom. Clean the floor with rags moistened in cleansing solution prepared for the purpose. Wipe the floor with wet rag and then rub it with dry rag.

Hardwood floors need regular and careful cleaning with prescribed products to enhance their life and beauty.

Hard Wood Floors provides detailed information on installing, cleaning and refinishing various types of hardwood floors, including engineered, solid, long-strip, exotic, pre-finished, and cheap hardwood floors. Hard Wood Floors is the sister site of Bamboo Flooring Web.

By Roger King

A squeak in hardwood flooring is caused by two pieces of wood rubbing against one another. One way to stop the sound is by reducing the friction of the moving pieces using a lubricant. I’m not talking oil here, but rather a dusting with ultra-fine graphite powder.

This is available at your local hardware stores, and for the most part it’s used to free lock mechanisms. But if you pour a tiny bit of it on the floor so that it can work its way into the squeaking boards, it could very well reduce or eliminate the sound.

If that fails, you can always try a pair of well-placed nails. You first need to pre-drill some slender holes into the wood, angled slightly towards one another. Then drive the nails in, being careful not to bang up the hardwood floor with the head of the hammer.

You can use an 8d or 8-penny finish nail, which has a very small head. Then sink it below the surface of the wood using a nail set. Now you can say good-bye to that squeak forever. You would need a hammer, a small drill bit, and a cordless drill. This would take no more than 15-20 minutes to complete.

Now after you get rid of all the squeaks, use a filler stick in the same color as the floor to fill any nail hole that are visible. When your floor is really starting to show its age, you’ll be able to renew its surface for about a quarter of what it would cost to install a new floor.

You can sand and refinish them, usually up to a total of four times before so much wood is ground away that the nails holding it in place begin to appear. Your hardwood floor should be as good as new.

About The Author:

Roger King has been occupied in home repairs for several years, and has been helping people with tips and advice to simple repairs to their homes. Visit his web site http://www.allhomerepairsyourself.com to learn how to do home repairs yourself.

By Rachel Lower

Besides vacuuming regularly, you can wipe your floors clean with a solution made for the type of floor finish you have. Various homemade cleaners and general cleaners on the market can leave residues that will make your floors dull, or create problems with the finish when the time comes to recoat your floors.

First figure out what kind of finish you may have. Does it feel waxy? Put a few drops of water on the surface and let it sit 10 minutes. If it leaves a spot you probably have a waxed floor. Dura Seal (www.duraseal.com) has a very good maintenance product called renovator for wax finishes.

If it is not a wax finish, you need to find an appropriate cleaner for polyurethane finishes that does not leave an oily residue. No oil soaps! Home Depot carries a suitable cleaner called “Zepp.” Even the Swiffer wet pads seem OK since they claim to leave no residue.

By Rachel Lower (RachelLauer.com), info. courtesy The Wood Flooring Guy http://www.woodflooringguy.com/. You may reprint this short How-to if you include this byline with active links.